The Duke GVC Center has been collaborating with the Organization of American States (OAS) since 2016.

The OAS commissioned Duke GVCC to undertake a series of global value chain (GVC) studies in four different countries in the Caribbean: Barbados, Belize, Jamaica and Saint Lucia as part of a program to establish Small Business Development Centers. During a three-year period, a total of 10 reports were produced across the four nations. Duke GVCC supplemented research with a capacity building program that consists of a series of GVC training sessions in each country.

Week-long training workshops in each of the four nations, led by Duke GVCC researcher Karina Fernandez-Stark, helped government officials gain a deeper understanding of the GVC methodology and the challenges and opportunities SMEs face when participating in the global economy. In total, over 100 participants completed training sessions through the project.

Duke GVCC conducted 10 GVC studies in the selected nations. As part of the development of Small Business Development Centers, these studies focused on how to increase SMEs participation in global value chains. Studies include the following: